The invention relates to a device carrier for allowing terminals provided on a device such as an IC to be brought into contact with contacts of a socket.
When measuring electric characteristics of an IC such as a ball grid array (BGA) type package IC, the IC is held by a device carrier and placed on an IC socket so that terminals formed of solder balls provided on the IC are allowed to be brought into contact with contacts provided on the IC socket.
FIG. 6 is a side partial view of a conventional device carrier for holding an IC (device). In FIG. 6, a device carrier 50 has a recess 51 formed in a rectangular shape in cross section and guide holes 53 wherein an IC (BGA type package IC) is placed on the recess 51. Guide pins 61 formed on an IC socket 60 are inserted into the holes 53 of the IC device carrier 50. That is, the device carrier 50 and the IC socket 60 IC are positioned with respect to each other by the guide pins 61. Multiple ball-like terminals (solder balls) B are provided on the lower face of the IC. A positioning plate part 52 is provided on the bottom of the recess 51 of the device carrier 50 for positioning the IC disposed on the recess 51 with respect to the device carrier 50. Multiple positioning holes 54 are formed on the positioning plate part 52, wherein when the terminals B are fitted in the positioning holes 54, the IC is positioned with respect to the device carrier 50. Contacts 62 of the IC socket 60 are inserted into the positioning holes 54 of the device carrier 50 from the lower side thereof. A socket board 70 is disposed under the IC socket 60 and the lower ends of the contacts 62 contact seat patterns 71 of the socket board 70.
When measuring electric characteristics of the IC, the IC is first conveyed on the IC socket 60 by the device carrier 50 so that the IC socket 60 and the device carrier 50 are positioned with respect to each other. Upon completion of the positioning between the device carrier 50 and IC socket 60, the contacts 62 provided on the IC socket 60 are allowed to be brought into contact with the terminals B of the IC held by the device carrier 50. In a state where the contacts 62 provided on the IC socket 60 and the terminals B of the IC held by the device carrier 50 contact one another, the electric characteristics of the IC is measured. At this time, the IC placed on the device carrier 50 which is disposed over the IC socket 60 is pressed by a contact pusher 80 having guide holes 81 through which the guide pins 61 of the IC socket 60 are inserted, thereby assuring the contact between the terminals B and the contacts 62. The positioning plate part 52 on which the IC is placed is formed of nonconductive synthetic resin so that the terminals B of the IC and the contacts 62 of the IC socket 60 are not short-circuited when they contact each other.
When measuring the electric characteristics of the IC using the IC socket 60 shown in FIG. 6, particularly measuring the electric characteristics in high frequency region, it is preferable that a distance between the terminals B of the IC and the seat patterns 71 of the socket board 70 is set to be as short as possible. That is, if the length of each contact 62 is set to be as short as possible, the electric characteristics of the IC can be measured stably with high accuracy.
Meanwhile, when the length of each contact 62 is set to be short, a thickness L of the positioning plate part 52 has to be set to be thin. However, since the positioning plate part 52 is made of synthetic resin as set forth above, if the thickness L of the positioning plate part 52 is set to be thin, the strength of the positioning plate part 52 is significantly lowered. If the contact pusher 80 presses the IC in a state where the thickness L of the positioning plate part 52 made of synthetic resin is set to be thin, a stress is localized, e.g., on steps 51a and the like inside the recess 51, so that the steps 51a are bent, causing a problem that the device carrier 50 can not stably hold the IC. Further, there occurs a case where the ends of the IC supported by the steps 51a are bent, so that the electric characteristics of the IC is not stably measured with high accuracy.
The invention has been developed in view of the circumstances as set forth above and it is an object of the invention to provide a device carrier capable of stably measuring properties of the device with high accuracy and an auto-handler.
achieve the above object, the device carrier for holding a device having terminals on a given face thereof at multiple positions, and allowing the terminals of the device to be brought into contact with contacts provided on an IC socket according to the first aspect of the invention is characterized in that the device carrier comprises an opening through which the device can pass, a support part disposed so as to close at least to a part of the opening for supporting the given face, and a hinge part for turnably supporting the support part, wherein said support part is turned to release the support of the given face of the device when it approaches to the socket.
According to the invention, the device carrier can hold the device stably by the support part which is disposed so as to close at least at a part of the opening through which the device can pass. Since the support part is turnably supported by the hinge part and is turned when it approaches to the socket, the opening is completely released when the support part is turned so that the device is moved toward the socket through the opening and it is directly placed on the socket. Since the device is directly placed on the socket when the support part is turned, so that the length of each contact of the socket can be set to be short. Accordingly, the properties of the device can be measured stably with high accuracy.
The device carrier according to the second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the hinge part according to the first aspect of the invention supports the device while biasing it in a direction to close the opening, and said support part is turned in a direction to open the opening while engaged with an engagement part provided on the socket.
According to the invention, the support part and the engagement part can be engaged with each other by merely approaching the device carrier and the socket to each other. As set forth above, the support of the device by the support part can be released by merely allowing the device carrier and the socket to approach to each other, so that the properties of the device can be easily and efficiently measured. Further, since the hinge part supports the support part while biasing the support part in the direction to close the opening, the support can stably support the given face of the device unless the support part of the device carrier and the engagement part of the socket are not engaged with each other.
The device carrier according to the third aspect of the invention is characterized in that the support part according to either first or second aspect of the invention comprises multiple support members for supporting multiple spots of the device at the given face thereof other than the spots where the terminals are provided.
According to the invention, since the support part comprises multiple support members and the multiple support members support given faces of the device, even if the size of one support member is small, the support members can stably support the device. Further, when the device is supported by the multiple support members, the size of each support member can be reduced. Accordingly, the turning space of each support member can be reduced, thereby making the device compact as a whole.
The device carrier according to the fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the device according to any of the first to third aspects of the invention further comprises a guide part provided on the device carrier at a portion in the vicinity of the opening for positioning the device while bringing into contact with the end face of the device.
According to the invention, since the guide part for positioning the device is provided in the vicinity of the opening, the terminals of the device which is moved from the device carrier to the socket and placed on the socket can be stabled made contact with the contacts of the socket with excellent accuracy.
The device carrier according to the fifth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the device according to any of the first to fourth aspects of the invention is a BGA type package IC having ball-like terminals.
According to the invention, even in the case of the device comprising a BGA type package IC having ball-like terminals, the contacts can be reliably positioned with respect to and brought into contact with the ball-like terminals.
An auto-handler provided according to the sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in having multiple device carriers according to any of claims 1 to 5.
According to the invention, since there are provided multiple device carriers enabling the terminals of the device and the contacts of the socket to be brought into contact with one another even if the length of each contact of the socket is short, it is possible to stably measure the electric characteristics of the device in the high frequency region without causing loose contact while multiple devices are brought into contact with the socket.